Metcalfe County, Kentucky Building Permit Guide

Metcalfe County has no local building inspector on the state’s contact sheet, updated September 10, 2026. Under the state rule, every project other than a one- or two-family home or townhouse is submitted to the Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction (HBC) for plan approval before work starts. A house is built to the state code and inspected only for its electrical, HVAC and plumbing work. Septic permits and the plumbing inspector’s office hours are at the Metcalfe County Health Department in Edmonton, and Edmonton’s utility charges $1,000 to tap a 3/4-inch water meter.

What requires a building permit in Metcalfe County?

The sheet for Metcalfe County has entries for the state building inspector and the trade inspectors but none for a local building inspector, and the City of Edmonton’s website offers no building permit. HBC’s jurisdiction rule therefore decides what needs approval, here in the county and inside Edmonton.

What the county decides and what the state holds

The state code applies everywhere; what a county controls is whether it inspects. With no local program on the sheet, Metcalfe County’s non-residential plan review and inspection fall to HBC’s Division of Building Code Enforcement, and its state building inspector for the county. The county judge/executive’s office remains the local contact the sheet gives for the electrical inspector.

Metcalfe County building department: who handles permitting

HBC’s sheet names the state building, manufactured housing, electrical, elevator, HVAC, plumbing and boiler inspectors who cover Metcalfe County. For the local electrical inspector it points to the county judge/executive’s office or the city office where the work is.

Cities in Metcalfe County

Metcalfe County permit types

The state sheet lists no local building permit office for the county or Edmonton. The approvals a Metcalfe County project needs come from HBC, the health department, the City of Edmonton’s utility and, on state highways, the Transportation Cabinet.

Residential permits

A house needs three trade permits. The electrical permit goes through the local electrical inspector; HVAC is bought from HBC by a licensed contractor or another authorized person; plumbing is permitted by HBC to a licensed master plumber or to an owner doing the work in their own home. An owner’s plumbing permit must be applied for before work starts, comes with an affidavit, and is limited for new homes to one per person every five years. Inside Edmonton, a new house also needs a utility connection: the city charges $1,000 for a 3/4-inch water meter tap and $1,250 for a 1-inch meter, with larger meters at actual cost.

Building or remodeling a home here? Alliance handles home building permits, so the crew isn't waiting on the counter.

Commercial permits

A store, office, church, shop or apartment building in Metcalfe County or Edmonton is filed with HBC’s Division of Building Code Enforcement for plan review and approval before construction, and the state building inspector for the county inspects it. HBC’s Division of Plumbing reviews plumbing plans for buildings serving the public.

For tenant improvements and new commercial builds, Alliance handles commercial permit filing through issuance. More on this: commercial building permits explained.

What comes before the building permit

• Septic. Outside Edmonton’s sewer, an onsite sewage permit from the health department at 615 West Stockton Street.
• Utility taps. In Edmonton, water, sewer and gas service from the city utility, with meter relocations charged at actual cost.
• Floodplain. Metcalfe County participates in the National Flood Insurance Program on a map with flood zones but no base flood elevations; ask the judge/executive’s office about floodplain approval before building near a stream.
• State roads. A KYTC encroachment permit from District 3 for an entrance onto a state highway.

Metcalfe County permit fees

Without a local building program there is no published county or city building permit fee. The costs a project meets are the state’s trade and plan review fees and Edmonton’s utility charges, set under Kentucky Public Service Commission orders of August 29, 2006 and March 17, 2019.

Worked example. A new Edmonton house with a 3/4-inch meter and 15 plumbing openings: $1,000 for the tap and $50 + (15 × $14) = $260 for the plumbing permit, $1,260 before the HVAC and electrical permits.

Trade permits and who may pull them

• Electrical. Electrical work needs a permit and an inspection by a certified electrical inspector; the sheet sends you to the judge/executive’s office, or Edmonton’s city office for work in the city, to find the local inspector. Electricians and electrical contractors hold HBC licenses; owners may wire their own homes with a permit.
• HVAC. HBC permits HVAC statewide wherever no local HVAC program exists, and Metcalfe County is not on its list of local HVAC jurisdictions. Buy the permit through SmartGov; a state HVAC inspector covers the county.
• Plumbing. HBC’s Division of Plumbing; the inspector for the county keeps a Wednesday office hour, noon to 1 p.m. Central, at the health department.
• Manufactured homes, elevators and boilers. Each has its own state inspector on the sheet.

How to get permits for a Metcalfe County project

Review, corrections and what causes delay

The usual trouble is a commercial project that starts on the assumption that a rural county without an inspector needs no approval; HBC requires its plan approval first. For houses, missing the plumbing permit before work begins, or the inspector’s single weekly office hour, slows things down. Inside Edmonton, ask the utility at City Hall early about the tap and any meter relocation, which is charged at actual cost.

Inspections in Metcalfe County

A Metcalfe County house has no building inspections; it gets an electrical inspection from a certified electrical inspector, a mechanical inspection from HBC’s HVAC inspector and plumbing inspections from the state plumbing inspector. HBC’s state building inspector for the county inspects non-residential buildings it has approved. The state manufactured housing inspector covers manufactured homes.

Kentucky building code

Construction in Metcalfe County must meet the 2018 Kentucky Building Code or Kentucky Residential Code even though no local inspector checks houses. FEMA’s Community Status Book lists Metcalfe County as participating in the National Flood Insurance Program on a map dated May 3, 2010 that shows flood zones without base flood elevations (Zones A, C and X only).

Kentucky has one mandatory statewide building code that local governments may not add to. Cities and counties enforce it and run zoning. The state reviews plans for larger and higher-risk buildings, and the local program reviews smaller ones. Kentucky rules

Metcalfe County permit search and official resources

State permits and plan approvals are tracked in HBC’s SmartGov portal. Edmonton takes public records requests in writing on its form, in person, by email or by post to the City Clerk at 207 East Street.

• HBC Metcalfe County inspector contact sheet
• HBC Contact an Inspector
• HBC Building Codes: state and local jurisdiction
• HBC Division of Building Code Enforcement
• HBC Division of Plumbing: permits and fees
• HBC plumbing FAQ
• HBC Division of HVAC
• HBC SmartGov portal
• City of Edmonton
• Edmonton records requests and utility rates
• Edmonton forms
• KYTC highway districts by county
• KYTC permit contacts by district
• FEMA Community Status Book, Kentucky

Metcalfe County permit FAQs

Is there a building inspector in Metcalfe County?

The state’s sheet, updated September 10, 2026, lists no local building inspector for the county or Edmonton.

Do I need a building permit for a house?

The published sources show no local building permit for houses. The electrical, HVAC and plumbing work still need permits and inspections.

Who approves a commercial building?

HBC’s Division of Building Code Enforcement (502-573-0373), before construction begins.

How much is a water tap in Edmonton?

$1,000 for a 3/4-inch meter and $1,250 for a 1-inch meter; larger meters at actual cost.

Where do I get a septic permit?

The Metcalfe County Health Department, 615 West Stockton Street, Edmonton (270-432-3214).

When is the plumbing inspector available?

Wednesdays from noon to 1 p.m. Central at the health department.

Simplify Metcalfe County permitting with Alliance Permitting

Alliance Permitting is a permit documentation and submission company in Kentucky. We prepare your paperwork, file it correctly and coordinate with the permitting authority through issuance. We are not a contractor and we do not perform licensed plan review or inspections; that work stays with your licensed team and the jurisdiction.

This guide is provided by Alliance Permitting for general information about Metcalfe County permitting. Requirements, fees, and procedures change; confirm details with the permitting authority before relying on them.